Myo Thiri Kyaw — Tatmadaw troops entered Tinma village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, and detained 10 residents on March 16, prompting worries for their safety among members of the detainees’ families.
Daw Aye Yee, the mother of detainee Mg Tun Tun Wai, said the soldiers took around 50 Tinma residents to a hilltop base at around 6 p.m. on Monday. After half an hour, most of the villagers were released but 10 remained in military custody and have not since been in contact with their families.
“My son hasn’t even turned 15 or 16 years old yet; he is still a student,” Daw Aye Yee said. “He was detained while eating food at home. I want him to be released. I am worried that they [the Tatmadaw] will not release him and he will be tortured.”
Mg Tun Tun Wai is the youngest of those detained, while a 65-year-old man is the oldest. Most of the detainees — who are all male — are in their 30s and 40s.
“We are arranging to submit papers to the respective departments to ensure that they follow the law for the 10 detainees. Their family members are concerned,” said U Oo Tun Win, the Pyithu Hluttaw lawmaker for Kyauktaw Township.
DMG attempted to contact Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun from the Tatmadaw True News Information Team and Colonel Win Zaw Oo, spokesperson for the military’s Western Command, but neither of them responded.
Several days of intense fighting took place between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army ethnic armed group near Tinma village last month.
